At 55, newly ordained priest answers childhood calling

The Rev. Arthur MacKay was ordained Saturday by Cardinal Sean O’Malley and will serve at St. Catherine of Siena in Norwood.

Kaitlin Keane

The Rev. Arthur MacKay stood before a crowded parish at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Hanson earlier this week and delivered his first homily as an ordained Catholic priest.

At 55, the Rev. MacKay admits it took him some time to find the priesthood, despite knowing it was what he wanted when he was 14.

“I kind of always knew,” said the Rev. MacKay, who grew up in Newton and graduated from Boston College with a degree in biology and chemistry.

Instead of entering a seminary, he went on to New England College of Optometry and began a career as a hospital optometrist. After many years of worrying he was not devout enough to answer his calling to the priesthood, he decided to try.

The Rev. MacKay, who had been a deacon at St. Joseph’s, was one of seven men ordained into the priesthood Saturday by Cardinal Sean O’Malley.

Now, with four years of seminary and two Masses as an ordained priest under his belt, he said his new job will not be all that different from his last.

“It’s the same thing, really,” said the Rev. MacKay, who will serve at St. Catherine of Siena in Norwood beginning June 3. “Whether you’re talking souls or eyes, people are in pain and you can help.”

The Rev. MacKay said becoming a priest was not easy. The Boston archdiocese asked him to take time and make sure the change was what he wanted. He also went through several psychiatric evaluations, he said.

While serving as a priest in Norwood, the Rev. MacKay plans to continue providing medical care. He hopes to give general optometry care to priests, nuns and needy patients several times a month, he said.

And while his journey to priesthood lasted several decades, the Rev. MacKay said his experience in other parts of life will help him be a better priest.

“I’ve learned to listen to that inner voice and let things work out,” he said. “This is where God wants me to be now, and it feels very comfortable.”